


All Stories Have Beginnings

by PenzyRome



Category: RWBY
Genre: And again Qrow just doesn't know how to deal with anything, F/F, F/M, I care so little about canon ages, If it seems ooc it's because this is 17 years before Volume One starts, Lisa is Winter's friend and has a cool reporter gf-- wait did I say gf I meant fiancé, Mutual Pining, Qrow and Winter and the STRQ crew before all the disaster, Qrowin - Freeform, Raven gets angry, Summer is a mess, They aren't even legal yet cut them some slack, Winter just wants to graduate in one piece, kinda angsty stuff.., open ending if that makes sense, snowbird, so much of it, tai's.. poor tai, weddings! not qrow and winter's lmao
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-10
Updated: 2018-02-06
Packaged: 2018-10-17 04:27:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 15,496
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10586418
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PenzyRome/pseuds/PenzyRome
Summary: Qrow is completely innocent in the whole situation: all he did was sit at a table to study. And yet an angry second year still finds a way to make him share his spot, so naturally his day starts going up from there. She ends up flipping the whole world around, but he still remains glad he stayed to chat.Otherwise known as: Winter somehow wins an argument with Qrow and he starts pining and Taiyang is done with their shit.





	1. Only Heathens Dislike Blueberry

“You’re in my seat.”  
Qrow looked up from his textbook to see a girl standing in front of him with a strangely disappointed scowl on her face.  
He raised an eyebrow, looking around the cafe with a skeptical look. “Come again?”  
She huffed loudly, blowing her white side bangs out of her face and scrunching her nose. “This is the table I always sit at when I’m studying. And you’re sitting here, so I can’t. Sooooo, if I may, can I please have my seat back?”  
Qrow sighed impatiently. “Kid, there’s a little thing called first dibs. Plenty of other places to sit.”  
“I’m not a kid, I’m in my second year at Atlas!”  
Qrow gave her an unimpressed look, then stated, “I’m in my fourth year, you’re a kid to me.”  
She rolled her eyes, and explained condescendingly, “I’ve sat here while I study since I first entered Atlas. It’s my favorite spot in here, it’s usually quiet but within shouting range of the counter, and there are comfy chairs. I come here every day, it’s my table.”  
Qrow leaned back and said, “Well, now I definitely want to stay here. I’m a guest after all. I came aaallllllll the way from Vale. I should get special treatment, don’tcha think, Ice Queen?”  
“I’m from here!” Her voice hit a high octave, and her volume didn’t lower, so Qrow sighed.  
“I’ll take my bag off the other chair and sit in that one, you can sit here. We have a deal?”  
“Fine,” she said, sitting down after a moment and unpacking her bag. Still frowning at him, she nodded in the barista’s direction, and the young woman at the counter called, “The usual, Winter?”  
Winter smiled, replied with a, “Of course,” and then looked back at Qrow. Taking note of his expression, she said acidly, “Yes, it’s Winter Schnee. Do you have something to say about it?”  
“Uh, no,” Qrow lied hesitantly, and she seemed to loosen and calm down a bit. “And I’m Qrow Branwen, by the way.”  
They worked quietly, not saying anything for a few minutes until the same barista came over with a mocha for Winter. She tried to pay, but the barista-- Lisa, Qrow noted from her name tag, shook her head.  
“On the house, Win. It’s Valentine’s Day, after all.”  
Lisa winked and walked away, and Winter turned red before taking a sip of her coffee. Qrow cocked his head with a mischievous look.  
“You two dating?”  
“No,” Winter scoffed, wrinkling her nose at him.  
“You wanna date her?”  
“Heavens, no!” Winter exclaimed, turning several shades of red darker. “Lisa is a friend of mine, she just likes to… Constantly have something to say. She’s majoring in journalism and newscasting.”  
“Hmm,” Qrow said, contemplating the statement.  
Winter took a gulp of her drink. “So why are you out studying? It’s Valentine’s Day, shouldn’t you be hanging out with your team or s/o?”  
Qrow shrugged. “Two of my teammates are on a date and the other is pining and I don’t have a girl or boyfriend, what’s your excuse?”  
Winter scrunched her face, then said, “My team is made up of asshats and I’m single.”  
“Rest in peace,” Qrow chuckled, and Winter laughed.  
“So we’ve established that we’re both relatively friendless, anything else?” Winter asked, and Qrow thought for a moment.  
“Well, before I discovered this place, I was making my unnecessarily extravagant weapon even fancier.”  
Winter nodded sagely. “Very nice. What do you have?”  
Qrow pulled his collapsed sword-scythe from it’s spot on his back, laying it gently on the table. “It’s a broadsword capable of transforming into a scythe, with a little gun feature that I’m adding. You?”  
She unsheathed a silver sword, which on closer inspection Qrow identified as a sabre, with a long, thin blade and a curving handle. He looked at it for a second, then asked, confused, “No dust applications?”  
Winter blew her bangs out of her face, and said quietly, “Whether I succeed or not must not depend on my father.” Her face took on a bitter, defensive look, and Qrow winced. He thought for a moment, deciding on a course of action.  
He nodded. “I can understand that.”  
“Oh?”  
“You’ll have to buy me a muffin to know more,” Qrow teased, tilting his head to the side.  
Winter shrugged. “Hey, Lisa, one blueberry muffin?”  
Qrow raised an eyebrow, and she scoffed. “Come on, only heathens dislike blueberry, I considered it a safe bet.”  
He considered the statement, then said, “Well, you aren’t wrong.”  
Lisa slid said muffin onto the table in front of Qrow, and he nodded in thanks. “So Ice Queen, I owe you info.” At Winter’s nod, he explained, “My parents aren’t exactly the kind you bring to Open House, and they haven’t proved the greatest role models… My sister, it’s especially affected her. She’s tried so hard to please them, but it’s really messed up her mind. I blame them, almost, for the fact that she just wound up getting pregnant with our teammate’s kid. And now she’s just so messed up about everything that I just wish they didn’t have to be in her life, y’know?”  
He considered what he’d said, then groaned. “God, that was way too much info.”  
Winter took a deep sip of her mocha, then remarked, “Well, life’s shit, isn’t it?”  
“Very poetic,” Qrow said teasingly, and she laughed. She pulled back her bangs behind one ear, and Qrow froze for a second.  
No. No, no, no, and no, Qrow Branwen. Very very bad thoughts. He knows what he's thinking and he has to stop thinking it this instant. Stop, stop, stop, he'll just make everything worse for her.  
Winter seemed to spend a moment deep in thought, then admitted, “My baby sister was just born. Her name’s Weiss-- I suggested it, you know. And all my life, I’ve been the only Schnee heir, so there was so much pressure to be the perfect child. So if there’s another heir that can be a fallback, a second chance if I screw up, I should feel good about that. But every time I tell myself that, I end up thinking that I don’t want Weiss to ever have to deal with everything I had to.”  
She took a gulp of her coffee, then continued, more determined than before, “And I have a plan, actually. I’ve got a lot of friends studying law, and there are a lot of grounds on which I could sue my father. All I have to do is present proper evidence, and once I get out of training, I can sue for custody of Weiss. Then she’ll be fine with me taking care of her… Even though I don’t know how to raise a child. I’ll figure that out later, though.”  
Qrow grinned, then said, “I can help with that, probably, if my niece or nephew hasn’t blown up by then.”  
Winter looked skeptical, stating, “If you’ve blown up a child, I don’t think I should trust you around my little sister. We Schnees are very flammable.”  
Qrow laughed. “You really are something, Winter Schnee.”  
Winter gave him an odd smile, then frowned. “You know that feeling when your coffee runs out and all you have are the gross powderey bitter dregs?”  
Qrow rolled his eyes. “Seems to be based off personal experience, Ice Queen.”  
She smiled sheepishly, then said, “Maybe.”  
He snorted. “I’ll get you another. Mocha, right?”  
She held a hand over her heart. “My hero!”  
“Yeah, yeah,” he said sarcastically, walking up and ordering. In a few minutes, Lisa passed him the cardboard cup, and he nodded.  
It was then in an awful split-second decision that Qrow grabbed a marker, scrawled a string over numbers on the side of the cup, and quickly walked over to pass it to Winter.  
No no no why’d he do that that was a bad choice she sees it she’s looking at it he messed up--  
“So,” Winter said slowly. “What do you think would happen if I would call this number?” She gave him a curious, measured look, and he took a deep breath.  
“Maybe, Ice Queen, you won’t end up studying next Valentine’s Day.”  
A smile cracked across her face. “I rather like the sound of that, actually.” She stood up. “I have to get going.”  
She paused almost dramatically. “I’ll make sure to call, though.” And with a wink, she sashayed out of the cafe, the bell on the door tinkling cheerfully.  
Three seconds later, Qrow got over his utter shock and sprinted out of the cafe and towards his dorm.  
Frantically unlocking the door and bursting into the living room, he shouted at the top of his lungs, “TAI!”  
His blond teammate stuck his head out of the kitchen. “What’s up?”  
Qrow gave him a frantic look. “I just gave a girl my number.” After five solid seconds of Taiyang staring as if the world wasn’t collapsing, Qrow lengthened his explanation.  
“I gave a really perfect girl my number.”  
Taiyang just continued to stare, and frustrated, Qrow shrieked, “I gave Winter Schnee, a girl who’s father I loathe, my number, because I met her at a cafe and she’s not only rebellious and hates her father, but extremely intelligent, and really funny, and ambitious and cares about her little sister more than anything else, and she’s super frickin’ cute, and brothers, Tai, I’m desperate for advice here!”  
Tai sighed deeply. “Any sane young adult, male or female, would be celebrating this.”  
Qrow gave him a deadpan look. “I’ll celebrate once I’m done freakin’ out. She winked at me, Tai, she winked!”  
Taiyang, the insufferable prick, just laughed. “Damn, Qrow, you’ve got it hard. Wasn’t aware I would ever see a twenty-year-old panicking like he was in seventh grade.”  
Qrow scowled. “I am not pining OR panicking!” His thought was interrupted by an alert on his scroll.

Unknown number: Hey, it’s Winter! (From the cafe)

Qrow would deny Tai’s claims that he proceeded to shriek and throw his scroll across the room. He would deny that claim until the end of his days.


	2. You Picked a Weird One, Win

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lisa just wants a break, it's Valentine's Day and unlike some people she has a life.

      “Winter, you met him maybe thirty minutes ago, I think he’ll remember that you met in a cafe,” Lisa said as she peered over Winter’s shoulder, and Winter groaned in frustration.

  
      “Shut up, I’ve got no clue on how to do this.”

  
      Lisa scoffed and walked back behind the counter, picking up a rag. “You seemed to have a pretty decent idea how 15 minutes ago.” As she spoke, she wiped down the counter. Winter wrinkled her nose and lifted up her food for Lisa to clean the granite counter.

  
      “I ran back in here for advice as soon as he left, that doesn’t speak volumes about my talent,” she protested, putting her napkin back on the cold surface. Stabbing her scone with a cheaply made fork, it began to crumble and Lisa took away the fork with a tired sigh.

  
      “Firstly, you can't eat the scone if it’s basically disintegrated, and secondly, open your textbook, read it, study it,and if he texts back, cool. If he didn’t, then why’d he even give you his number?” She shrugged dismissively. “Also, I’m hardly the highest authority on how guys operate.”

  
      “Liiiiiisssaaaaaaaa…”

      She gave Winter a painfully deadpan look. “You just got his number faster than literal lightspeed, you have this under control.”

      Winter pushed the cone crumbs into a pile with her fingers, rolling her eyes. “I don’t even know how I did that.”

      “You winked.”

      “I was possessed,” Winter said decisively. “I must’ve been possessed, that’s how I did it. Maybe I should document this.” She met Lisa’s eyes with a look clearly spelling out that she could ramble all day. “You know, Lisa, this should be documented. A webstream, perhaps. The world has to know that mental possession is real. Of course, I’ll credit you for helping with the discovery--”

      Lisa groaned and slammed a new scone on the countertop. “This is yours if you stop talking and study.” Winter tilted her head as she thought, then took the pastry with a nod of thanks and opened her history textbook to a normal page.

      “Oh look, a biased summary of the Great War. That should be fun,” Winter snarked, and Lisa smiled tiredly.

      There was almost ten minutes of blissful silence, and Lisa was starting to get used to it until Winter called her name from across the room in a confused voice.

      She turned her head to glance behind her. “I’m working!”

      “There are two customers here and I’m one of them!” Winter said, waving her scroll in the air haphazardly. Lisa sighed, giving the petite faunus sitting in the corner an apologetic smile before walking over to join Winter.

      “What’s the emergency,” she sighed, and Winter shoved her scroll directly in front of Lisa’s face.

      “What does this mean?!” she said frantically, and Lisa squinted at the screen.

      **Qrow** : **This** **is** **tai** **Hqyd** **im** **qrow's** **teammatgebjkqbchyjgyuyurc** **shiitncfwkbycb** **qdammitucbku** **axbDBubcUBucbUBCUKBcbU**

      Lisa stared at Winter blankly. “It means you picked a weird one, Win.”

 

      “TAI YOU ASSHOLE GIMME MY SCROLL--” 

      Taiyang cackled gleefully, holding Qrow’s scroll above his head, prompting him to transform into a large and unkept crow. Tai released the scroll when his fingers started to be pecked by the bird, and Qrow transformed back to grab it before it hit the floor. He groaned loudly when he saw that Tai’s message had been sent, including the garbled text created when he had held the device hostage.

      He started to type quickly, but first received a message.

 **Unknown** **Number** : **What** **the** **hell**.

      “Dammit, Tai!” Qrow yelled, and Taiyang only laughed much too hard for Qrow’s pride to handle.

      **You** : **Just**   **a sec**

      “Tai, I swear--”

      “Got it, I’m leaving with my victory,” Tai said, holding up his hands in mock surrender. Qrow glared holes into the back of his head, then turned with a small humph back to his scroll. Typing in a contact for Winter, he returned to his original efforts.

 **You: sry that was my teammate**  
**Winter:** **Does** **he** **always** **steal** **people’s** **personal** **belongings?**  
**You: nah im special**  
**Winter: I can see.**  
**You:**   **was** **that** **sarcasm** **or** **not** **bc** **hes** **an** **ass**

      “If you’re texting about me I’ll steal your scroll again, Qrow!”

      “I’m locking the door!”

      “Screw you!”

      “You’re an adult, learn some actual swear words!”

      “ _Fuck you!_ "

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay I'm really really sorry this is out so late, I kept changing my mind on what I wanted to do with this chapter. But hey, Lisa's here, and so is Taiyang, and Qrow is obviously a really sloppy person when it comes to text grammar. Thanks so much to all of you who reviewed and left kudos, even if I didn't respond, (which I don't because I have this weird thing about not wanting people to get unneeded emails,) I truly appreciate it and it really makes my day! Also again, my tumblr is @pshhhhhhhnah, I post some art there and occasionally... Do stuff???? But I would be happy to chat with any of you if you throw me a message!


	3. Mega-Assholes, Pricks, and How They Address Their Wanting Chocolate Milk: A Comprehensive Essay by Winter Schnee

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Qrow in very few ways expected Raven to ever actually think he was right about something. And of course it was because of Winter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's 12 at night where I am I'm suffering I should be studying why do I do this to myself

“Qrow, I swear if you don’t listen I’m dumping your cereal on your head,” Summer snapped, her patience worn thin. Qrow’s head jolted up, and he made hasty eye contact with her as she gave him a skeptical look.

  
“As I was saying, we need a plan for what we’re going to do for the tournament. Normally, I would enter us without a second thought, but there are… Complications.” She eyed each of the respective twins, and Raven averted her gaze with a guilty expression. Summer took a moment to reassess and tuck her hair back behind her ear, the black and red contrasting sharply with the white of her cloak.

  
“So we need an answer.”

  
Taiyang raised his hand a bit, then said, “Won’t we be expected to participate? I mean, we’ve got the highest ranks of all the fourth years, people are gonna ask why we aren't in it.”

  
Qrow rolled his eyes. “Did you not hear what she said? I mean, I didn’t catch much of it, but we sure as hell can’t compete when Raven’s got a kid on the way and I bring bad luck anywhere I go.”

  
“Thank you for that, Qrow,” Summer said, sarcasm lacing through her voice as she spoke. Qrow gave a mock salute, and she continued, “So we’re in agreement? No tournament, keep the kid and ourselves safe?”

  
The other three nodded, and Summer stood up with her folder of applications and dumped it all in the trash before leaving the dorm. Raven clicked her tongue a few times to fill the awkward silence, and Tai sighed deeply before walking out behind Summer. Qrow pulled out his scroll and opened it, tapping the screen and wincing at an assortment of messages.

 

**Winter:**   **Are** **you** **there** **?**  
**Winter:**   **Qrow?**  
**Winter** :  **Is** **there** **something** **wrong?**  
**Winter:**   **Qrow??**

 

While Raven watched him with a curious expression, he started typing with his tongue sticking out in mock concentration.

 

**You** : **sry**   **abt that summer was bein a** **dictator**  
**Winter: Breaking news! Qrow Branwen spelled a word correctly!**  
**You: rude**  
**Winter: So what happened?**  
**You: Summer freaked out over forms n stuff**

 

He looked up to see Raven staring at him with a puzzled expression, a hint of a smile playing at her lips.

  
“What?”

  
“You look… Content,” Raven remarked quietly, pausing in the middle of the sentence to think.

  
“Content?”

  
“Happy.”

  
Qrow crossed his arms and exhaled slowly. “You make a point of saying this why?”

  
Raven shrugged, picking at her nails with an indifferent frown. “You always look disgruntled, angry.” Realizing what she has said, she pursed her lips. “Don’t you dare say--”

  
“Look who’s talkin’. Looked in a mirror lately?”

  
“Go do your chores, you five-year-old.” She snapped her fingers in a sudden epiphany. “Walnuts. No, almonds! With the yogurt on them! The vanilla kind!”

  
“You’ve gotta be kidding me,” Qrow muttered, but still pulled out his keys and wallet, because when your older sister was craving almonds with yogurt on them, you got her almonds with yogurt on them.

  
He was about halfway down the hallway when he stopped and pulled out his scroll again.

 

**You: u got any idea where 2 find almonds w/ yogurt on them**  
**Winter: I have some in my pantry?**  
**You: wtf**  
**Winter: They're a pretty big thing in Atlas. They're for Raven, right?**  
**You: who else**  
**Winter: What's your dorm number? I can bring them over for you if you want.**  
**You: nah its cool**  
**Winter: Qrow, they don't sell them anywhere near here.**  
**You: ...**  
**You: were in the east building**  
**You: #23**  
**Winter: I'll be there in five minutes.**

 

True to her word, Winter was there in precisely four minutes and 53 seconds. Qrow tried to hide the stopwatch when she entered the dorm, but Raven just drawled, “He timed you like a petty son of a bitch. Wait, he is a petty son of a bitch.”

  
Winter snorted, dropping a nearly full bag of almonds in front of Raven. “Here, they’re good, so don’t drop any on the floor and waste them. Eat as many as you want.”

  
“You’re an angel,” Raven said solemnly. “Tai and Qrow always say to save some of them for them.” She considered the bag for a moment before eating a handful, her eyes widening. “Damn, that’s good.”

  
Winter sent a skeptical look at Qrow. “You have a pregnant woman on your hands, let her eat.” He grumbled at her statement, and she shook her head. “No excuses. She can and will murder you. My mom isn’t a huntress and still almost destroyed the mansion once.”

  
Raven muttered something unintelligible through a mouthful of food, and Qrow shrugged. “Dorm’s been destroyed three times this year, a fourth time can’t hurt. Structural support and stuff like that.”

  
“You’ll be the first to die,” Winter mused and picked up a magazine from the table. “So I’m assuming no tournament for you?”

  
“How could you guess,” Raven said sarcastically, and Qrow hummed in agreement.

  
“What about you?” Qrow asked, and Winter nodded passively.

  
“We’re doing it, not that I expect much. The whole team is made up of preppy idiots. It’s like being surrounded by androids programmed with perpetual cheeriness.”

  
“I thought they were assholes.”

  
“Can’t they be both?” Winter said absentmindedly, scanning a page with a frown.

  
Raven stopped eating for a moment to consider the concept. “That’s like… A mega-asshole.”

  
Qrow shook his head. “No, that’s a prick,” he corrected, and Raven looked at him quizzically.

  
“What’s the difference?”

  
Winter put the magazine down to explain, “A mega-asshole would demand they give you their chocolate milk, a prick just steals your chocolate milk and then cusses you out when you try to take it back.” She scowled. “I can’t believe I just said that.”

  
“It was pretty accurate, though,” Qrow said approvingly, and Raven just shook her head in mock disappointment.

  
“You two are such _nerds_.”

  
“Thanks, sis,” Qrow muttered under his breath, and Winter snickered at the look Raven give him.

  
“Schnee?” Raven asked, and Winter turned.

  
“Winter, please.”

  
“Mhm… I may have finished your almonds,” Raven said sheepishly, and Qrow’s eyebrows practically disappeared into his hair.

  
Winter picked up the empty bag and tossed it into the trash. “Here’s the deal, I’ll bring you a new bag in a few days if I’m allowed to stay here during my free time and fill out your magazine quizzes.”

  
“Done.” The two shook hands almost comically while Qrow watched the unfolding scene in confusion.

  
Winter checked her scroll and groaned. “It’s the mega-prick. Just a sec while I take this.”

  
The twins nodded, and Winter walked into the hall to answer the call. Raven hummed for a moment, then admitted, “I like her.”

  
“Really?”

  
“She’s a good person. I hate to say this, brother, but you may have made a decent choice. I could get used to having her around.” Raven offered a smile, and Qrow returned it.

  
“Her little sister was just born, she might ask for your help if you haven’t exploded your kid after a few months,” Qrow mentioned, and Raven chuckled.

  
“Like I said, I could get used to her. I could get used to this.”

  
“This?”

  
“All of… _This_.” She motioned to the dorm, to him, to the door separating them from Winter. “I could get used to being happy.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so the asshole vs prick stuff is actually based on a lot of conversations I've had with my friends. (In case you wonder, I've been dubbed a prick.) Anyway, this chapter was an... Experience. Honestly, I didn't plan to have Winter meet any of Team STRQ besides Qrow until at least chapter 6 but I just like soft teenager Raven a lot. It's solidarity between girls trying to handle struggling families and finals :) And as for Summer, I think she sort of grew into her role as a mother, and I wanted to portray her as not a lovable goof, but a genuinely serious huntress. Anyway, comments and kudos absolutely make my day guys you have no idea they make my tiny heart so happy I just love y'all so much just for reading this. Next chapter will possibly have Lisa... And her mysterious gf????? Spooky, I know...


	4. A Wholesome Intermission

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Really gay and I'm not apologizing for that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is really late and I'll apologize for that.

“You do realize this would seem strange to anyone who hasn’t known you for three years?”

  
“You’re just jealous of my emotional stability,” Lisa snapped, pulling one tray of muffins out of her oven and setting a timer for the next batch.

  
“You’ve been baking for seven hours, this is anything but stable.” Winter studied the batch of muffins in front of her. “These are too chocolatey.”

  
“No such thing as too chocolatey, Jen’ll love it if they taste like chocolate hell.” Lisa rummaged around her drawers, then swore loudly. “Where’d I put my damn spatula?”

  
“In the oven. Take it out before it melts,” Winter reminded her in an unreasonably calm voice, and after five minutes of panic and ten minutes of the fire alarm in Lisa’s apartment going off, Lisa nodded at the “chocolate hell” batch.

  
“Those are the ones. See if they’re cool, will you?”

  
Winter nodded, and stuck a toothpick in one of them. After a moment, she canceled her previous idea and stuck her finger into it, cackling as Lisa shrieked loudly. 

  
After a few death vows and the mangled muffin being shoved in her hands, Winter asked awkwardly, “Could I maybe take a batch? With me, I mean?”

  
Lisa smirked, and at Winter’s glare she just said smoothly, “For who? The guy I helped you text, perchance? Do I not deserve thanks?”

  
Winter heaved a melodramatic sigh. “They’re for his sister.”

  
Lisa coughed sharply. “Well, I did not peg you as the type.”

  
“No! No, no no no, she’s.. Um, she’s pregnant, and she really craves chocolate, so I thought I’d maybe bring something over for her…” Winter’s voice trailed off, and Lisa pushed a bag towards her.

 

“Here. Tell her good luck from me.”

 

Winter gave her friend a small grin, and Lisa scoffed. “Stop looking sentimental. Makes me feel sensitive and emotionally attached.”

  
Winter rolled her eyes, saying patronizingly, “You’re proposing to your girlfriend tomorrow, I’d hope you’re emotionally attached.”

  
“Oh, shut up. At least I’m not dancing around the idea of possibly liking a guy but then saying--” she adapted a high-pitched voice-- “ “We’re only friends, it’s strictly platonic” and other BS.”

  
“Lisa, you don’t like guys,” Winter said, her voice laden with deadpan sarcasm.

  
“I don’t like your tone, missy. May I remind you that Jen and I raised you to be the decent person you are instead of the prick you were when you wound up on our doorstep?”

  
Winter snorted, picking up her bag and heading towards the door. “See you later, Lisa.”

 

\---

  
“I’m freaking out.”

  
“You shouldn’t freak out. It’s going to go great,” Winter said calmly, not even looking up from the makeup box in front of her. “Come on, is this all the eyeshadow you have? You’re going to be a newscaster, get a better selection.”

  
Lisa sat on top of her hand in a last-ditch attempt to save her nails from years’ worth of nervous ticks. “She’s going to say no. She’s going to say no, and then I’ll be going into newscasting single because we’ll end up breaking up, and I read that newscasters can get way too handsy, and then--”

  
“Lisa. Calm down, this is going to go perfectly.” Motioning for Lisa to close her eyes, Winter crouched in front of her to frown and think and eventually go to work. Between brush strokes, she dispersed small bits of encouragement. “You two have been dating for years.”

  
“You’re living together.”

  
“She came out to her entire family just to be with you, Lisa.”

  
“Jen loves you, and you mean the world to her.”

  
“And you two are going to have a beautiful wedding, and as a gift, I will get you a decent palette of eyeshadow.”

  
A car horn honked outside, and Lisa jumped in surprise. “Oh brothers, that’s her. Is everything fine?”

  
Winter nodded. “The ring is in the box, the box is in your purse, and you look stunning. Go kick ass.”

  
Lisa took a deep breath clutching the strap of her purse. “I can do this.”

  
“You can do this,” Winter repeated, hesitating before hugging her tightly. “Good luck.”

  
Lisa gave her a hopeful smile, rushing towards the door and slamming the door behind her. Winter peered out the window, watching her get into Jen’s car and kiss her on the cheek, then turned away as the car headed down the street and out of sight.

 

 

**Lisa** : **WINTER**  
 **You** : **YES?**  
 **Lisa** : **IM** **ENGAGED**

 

 

Winter practically kicked down the door to the cafe the next day, flinging herself across the length of the room with a haphazard glyph and knocking Lisa down with a hug. “YOU’RE ENGAGED!”

  
Lisa laughed, wrapping her arms around Winter in a tight hug. “I’m engaged!” They both laughed gleefully, and a soft cough broke their fits of giggles. Winter turned around to see a curvy woman sitting on one of the metal barstools, and she momentarily forgot Lisa and threw her arms around her friend’s fiancé.

  
Lisa joined in the hug, and after a moment of simple, calm warmth, they all started laughing hysterically and stepped backwards to tear up and grin and go back to hugging.

  
After a few minutes, Jen sat down cross-legged, balancing on the same stool as before, and Winter stared at the two of them for a few moments before she broke down, crying into Jen’s shoulder.

  
Jen chuckled and rubbed Winter’s back as Winter clung to her like a lifeline, squeezing tightly and making a mess out of her friend’s cardigan. A few customers started to stare, and Lisa went back to work as her fiance waited for Winter to be able to form more coherent sentences than “Oh lord,” and “I can’t….”

  
Eventually, Winter calmed down, and her sobs slowed into sniffles, so Jen pulled a napkin out of the stand on the counter for Winter to mop her face with. Winter beamed through her remaining tears, and managed to get out, “You deserve this… So, _so_ much.” Her voice broke, and she paused for a moment until she could continue. “You two took me in, and I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for you, and I just..” She threw her arms around Jen again, shaking her head. “I love you both. I love you both so fucking much.”

 

Jen pet Winter’s hair comfortingly, saying quietly, “We love you too, honey.”

  
Winter backed up so she could blow her nose in a bundle of scratchy paper napkins. “You better not move away when Lisa graduates, I’ll need your hugs. You’re like… A very warm cloud. That’s such a bad description, sorry.”

  
Jen shrugged. “It’s the chub, I’m sure. All of you hunters are built like tiny, stressed-out little machines.”

  
Winter giggled, then stopped. “Wait, you’re not moving, right?”

  
Jen shook her head. “D’you honestly think we’d leave you behind? We’re your family, don’t forget it. We wouldn’t leave if it was our only choice.”

  
“Good.”

  
“Good?”

  
“Just… Punch me if I ever forget how much I love you both.”

  
“Got it.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay hi, I'm really really sorry that I posted this so late, I kept writing different versions of it and I got a new laptop and just :/ But anyway, this is Lisa's fiancé! I didn't name her Jen because of Jen Brown, I just,, thought it was cute? Anyway, some information on her if you want it: She's chub and curvy and very sweet, and is definitely the most mother-like figure Winter has. Winter met her and Lisa when she started training to get into Atlas, and you don't get any more info on their backstory together until later. I might draw her and put it on tumblr,,,, so..... Ya know....... @pshhhhhhhnah y'all check it out..... Seriously I'm lonely please come talk to me..... Come bug me and tell me to update..... All you have to do is message me and say these words: "Hi Penzy, do you wanna talk about *whatever*" Please guys I crave human interaction.
> 
> Also, if any of y'all are into theater, Ben Platt's Tony acceptance speech actually made me cry.


	5. Confrontation and Confusion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summer Rose seemed like an enigma to Winter, but everyone does until you know them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I kinda made Summer a little bit of an ass in the beginning sorry about that. Also, a LOT of dialogue.

     Winter liked to think she knew all of Team STRQ. There was Qrow, of course, and Raven, who’d held her end of their deal, and Taiyang, who was stressed but kind enough. Summer, though, Winter only really knew _of._ Qrow described her as strict and firm but caring nonetheless, a powerhouse on and off the battlefield. To Winter, she was a pure enigma.

     So it was admittedly a little startling to walk into Team STRQ’s dorm and for Summer to be the only one there. The surprise seemed to be mutual, and they were silent for a moment before Summer asked bluntly, “Who gave you a key?”

     Winter stayed silent for a moment, wavering between the truth and a lie. "Uh, Qrow did. In case my team gives me a hard time, or Raven needs help, or..." She trailed off when Summer rolled her eyes. The older huntress leaned back, playing with the hem of her skirt.

     "He's smitten. I've known him almost four years, and I've never seen him this dedicated to a girl before. Or boy... Anyone, really, besides maybe Raven." 

     Winter chuckled nervously. "We're friends, Summer."

     "I have a recording of him waxing poetic about your devotion to your sister," Summer deadpanned, and Winter flushed a bit. Summer played with the hood of her cape for a little while, and a comfortable silence fell over the room.

     Winter cleared her throat. "So! Uh, anything going on with you? Any boys, girls, leadership classes..."

     Summer shrugged noncommittally. "Getting ready to be a godmother, I suppose." She sighed. "It's selfish, almost, but I keep wishing Raven... You know. We'd be able to participate in the tournament, and Qrow could relax for thirty seconds a day, and Tai..." She stopped, looking down at her boots in shame. Winter paused, raising her eyebrows a little. 

     "You..." Summer nodded quietly, and Winter sighed, moving to sit down next to summer on the couch. Summer sniffed. "It's okay. You're okay. There are other people."

     Summer smiled, the corners of her eyes crinkling. "No wonder Qrow likes you."

     "Thank you?" Winter said hesitantly, and Summer hummed in response.

     They sat in silence for a bit, Winter picking up a magazine and filling out a quiz while Summer tapped her fingers and sang under her breath. After a while, Qrow and Raven walked in, Qrow grinning widely. "Winter! Hi!"

     Summer smirked and turned to Winter, mouthing " _Smitten!_ "

     Winter tucked the magazine into her purse quickly, then stood up. "Hello, um, Raven, I brought chocolate muffins. My friend made them! She got engaged that day so they've got to be good... I've got to go, I have a meeting with her and her fiance, I'm their wedding planner! So, yes, have a nice day!" She speed-walked out of the door, and Qrow closed it behind her. He immediately turned to Summer, confusion written across his face.

     "She didn't even say hi to me! Summer, what did you say?!"

     Summer snorted. "You'd love to know." She turned and sashayed out of the room, Raven and Qrow exchanging puzzled looks behind her. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this is really short but it's building up to something, I promise. It might not be posted for a while because I'm going to camp for a little more than a week pretty soon, but I'll try to get it up before or after I come home! Anyways, more Summer in this chapter, and some Mysteries, and yeah, this is just a little filler since I didn't really know what to do after last chapter, which got off track from the main plot but I loved so much. As always, my tumblr is @pshhhhhhhnah, I share it with my friend, check it out! (Please message me I'm lonely) I hope you enjoyed!


	6. Angst with a Side of Gossip

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Realizations are reached, charts are made, tea is poured, angst occurs.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for this

     “Winter, why the fresh hell are you calling me at three in the morning?” Lisa sighed, rubbing at the corners of her eyes.

  
     “I have a problem,” Winter said urgently, and Lisa groaned.

  
     “If it’s related to colors of flowers or candles or venues or menus call me in the afternoon and get your insomnia checked out.”

  
     “I think I like Qrow."

  
     Lisa was silent for five seconds, waiting for a follow-up. “Okay, well I’m going back to sleep--”

  
     “You don't understand, Summer teased me about it so I filled out a quiz in one of Raven’s magazines about how to tell if you like your friend, and it said that I did, so I turned to the Internet for help, and I took this one quiz six times and it always said that I did.”

  
     Lisa exhaled. “Why are you pinning your emotions on online quizzes?”

  
     She could almost feel Winter rolling her eyes. “The website it’s on has accurately predicted my age, mental health, social class, city of birth, favorite book, and top three bands. I would trust it with my life,” she said, and Lisa massaged her temples.

  
     “I'll come over to your dorm during the daytime, just calm down and sleep.”

  
     “Fine…”

 

 

     “Okay, what’s the tea?” Lisa said, sitting down next to Winter, who looked like she’d drank a half gallon of coffee.

  
     Winter pushed an unusually large piece of stationary towards her. “I made a pro-con list.”

  
     Lisa muttered under her breath, scanning the paper. “I don’t think Qrow rejecting you is going to make the whole of Team STRQ not talk to you… Actually, no, it might.”

  
     Winter rolled her eyes and scowled. “Thank you, that was very crucial.” Lisa shrugged dismissively and continued reading. Winter took a long drink of whatever was in her mug, waiting mildly impatiently for Lisa to finish. When she did, she placed the paper back on the table and stared straight at her.

  
     “No offense, but this is the most unnecessary thing I’ve ever read.”

  
     Winter pursed her lips, clearly ignoring the statement. “What should I do?”

  
     Lisa stood up, crossing her arms and frowning at Winter with clear frustration in her eyes. “Talk to him.”

  
     And with that, she turned on her heel and walked out of them dorm, leaving Winter to sigh dramatically and gulp down her drink and return to her lists.

 

 

     “And then she gives me this list! And it's the dumbest shit, it’s like she thinks every possible path leads to the destruction of everything she knows.” Lisa scoffed. “It’s like she’s never had a crush before.”

  
     Jen made a soft sound of acknowledgement from behind her, where she was fiddling with the hairpins that secured all of Lisa’s short silvery hair in a small bun. “I mean, she may not have..” Jen murmured, and Lisa snorted disbelievingly. “Really! Lisa, we both thought she was aroace for what, a year? I think she thought she was aroace! This could be the first time she’s had a genuine crush, instead of just a little “Oh, so-and-so has pretty eyes” or “Oh, this-and-that has nice… Cheekbones,”” she finished awkwardly, exhaling slowly.

  
     Lisa sighed and leaned back into Jen, who maneuvered enough to keep her fiancé’s hairstyle intact. “I suppose. God, this would be easier if she had a crush on Qrow’s leader.”

  
     Jen made a face like she’d bitten into an old apple. “Summer? She’s hung up on the father of Qrow’s soon-to-be-born niece.”

  
     “No! Really?”

  
     Jen quietly amused “mhm” and Lisa gasped a little.

  
     “Spill. It. All. God, why does Winter always tell you the interesting news?” Lisa said, and Jen laughed, turning her head to kiss her on the temple.

  
     “Alright, so Raven’s Qrow’s sister…”

 

 

     “She likes you.”

  
     “Yeah, sure Summer.”

  
     “She really does.”

  
     “Could you get any fucking closer to the officially uncomfortable area of physical contact?” Qrow snapped, and Summer scooted back, a bit of guilt flashing across her face. She tried to say something, and Qrow cut her off. “I don’t give a shit.”

  
     Summer folded her arms, glaring at him. “Are you really such a raging asshole you won’t believe me? You think you’re so above it all that you can spill some edgy story about a tragic backstory about never falling in love again and it'd be an excuse?”

  
     “We’ve been fighting over this for twenty minutes, go to sleep,” Qrow hissed, and Summer clenched her jaw.

  
     “Fuck you, I’m trying to he--” she cut off when Qrow slammed his textbook shut.

  
     “Listen up, I wanna believe you. I want to think an intelligent, funny, compassionate, gorgeous girl likes me as much as I like her. But people like Winter don’t like people like me. I’m literal bad luck, I’m a disappointment to a tribe of disappointments, I’m a decent student who’s getting through school on account of petty spite and a different fighting style than every other shluck who tries to succeed as a hunter. She’s been groomed for perfection since day one, and I'm not gonna be the one to mess that up. So fucking let it go, I’m sorry my boring life isn’t satisfying enough for you to entertain yourself with.” He glared straight through her, daring her to talk again, and Summer Rose was reckless but not stupid. She sat down, her hands clasped together to try and prevent herself from fidgeting.

  
     Qrow turned towards her, just a little, just enough for her to see his face soften a little. “I’ll be okay, Summer.”

  
     She sighed a little. “I’m not sure you will be.”

  
     He frowned, the space between his eyebrows crinkling. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  
     “Taiyang and Raven’ll have a baby to raise soon enough. I’ve got prospects for groups that’ll hire me as a solo huntress lined up around the block. School’s been our shield from the outside world for years, Qrow, and you’re the only one who won’t have a new one.” She looked down, focusing on a stain on the tabletop. “I just… Worry. Who’ll you be without people to remind you to look forwards, not down?”

  
     He snorted. “An alcoholic.”

  
     “Qrow, I’m serious.”

  
     “I’m dead serious,” Qrow said, staring at the wall. “At least I’m away from the tribe, it could be worse. I could be Winter, she’s still got Weiss back with her…” He trailed off, swallowing hard, and a wave of dread swept across his face. “Oh, no.” He pushed back his chair, and it slid with a screech across the room.

  
     Summer stood up. “What’s going on?”

  
     Qrow took a shuddering breath. “I need to talk to Winter.”

 

 

**Qrow: winter?**  
**Winter: Yes? Is there a problem?**  
**Qrow: can u meet me at the cafe tmrrw**  
**Winter: Why?**  
**Qrow: please**  
**Winter: Alright.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I told myself I wouldn't have any unresolved endings in the first ten chapters but I broke that promise, sorry. And I also said I would have this out soon, that was a lie, I forgot and watched Newsies three times. (If you're into Newsies, btw, I might have a lil something for you soon....) But I tried to lighten this with our Local Gals, since I realized this was a lot of plot in one thousand words. I'm not happy with this, either, I left it in my drafts for a week before deciding to just post it, but here it is. If you liked it, please comment because then I know I'm allowed to go full steam ahead with The Plot and The Emotion.  
> Also, follow me on tumblr.hellsite @pshhhhhhhnah for content or message me @dreamsanddaylilies if you wanna talk about anything!!! Seriously, musical theater, art, writing, RWBY, Voltron, a cute cat you saw, a tiny kid who had a lot of hope in the world that talked to you recently, anything. (I'm lonely provide me with social interaction I'll try not to disappoint)


	7. In Which Things Are Sadly Anticlimactic, But Comfortingly So

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things are talked through, Winter's pride is hurt, relief is caused.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hnnnnnnngh

    As soon as Winter slid into the chair opposite Qrow, she spoke her mind. “What’s wrong?” He wrung his hands, avoiding eye contact, and after a while, she grew impatient. “What, you bring me out here on some urgent reason and then can’t even speak?”

    Qrow exhaled, almost shuddering. “I need you to just listen for a little.” Still frustrated, Winter nodded, and he continued after a moment. “I’m putting your chances of success in danger. No, no responding. My semblance, is in a nutshell, making me a bad luck charm. Whoever I'm near is affected, and bad things always end up happening. It's probably my fault Raven’s pregnant, in some weird way. And when you add that to my family, you aren’t safe around the shit that goes on around me.”

    Winter crossed her arms, still listening, and Qrow sighed, gripping his forearms so hard that his fingernails almost pierced into his skin. “Raven and I were born into a tribe of bandits. They’re notorious, and they’re deadly, and they  _ hate  _ your family. And they detest me. Raven and I were supposed to become the tribe’s leaders when we turned sixteen, but I chose to go to Beacon and to take Raven with me. Her semblance is foresight, so she can sense when something bad is going to happen. I thought it would balance me out, but soon we’re going to be out of school, and she’ll be too busy with her baby to be able to concentrate on counteracting my semblance. And I'm done with the tribe, I promise, but they'll never completely be gone.” He looked her straight in the eyes, and she tilted her head a little.

    “I understand,” he said, “if you're angry that I didn't tell you. And I understand if you want to separate your future as far as possible from mine. But if you don't want to, you deserve to know that it's going to be messy. My family, and the tribe, doesn't take prisoners, and neither does my semblance. You have a right to know that.” He sat silently for a few moments, then said, “You can talk now.”

    Winter nodded, and exhaled slowly, then snapped, “I thought you were in danger, you jerk! I don't care about your magical death semblance or creepy family, I care about you. Brothers, you could've at least told me you weren't going to die or anything.” He blinked, startled, and she snorted. “What, did you think I was going to be like “Oh, something out of your control might cause something bad to happen, better leave him to the dust”? Give me more credit than that. Creepy bad luck doesn't ruin friendships that were started by awkward coffee shop flirting.” They both paused, then laughed a little, like they had missed the point of a joke but knew it was supposed to be funny.

    “So, we’re good?” Winter prompted, and Qrow nodded.

    “We’re good.”

    “Great, cool. Cool cool.” Winter looked around a bit. “So, do you want to order anything? We’re here early in the morning before class, we deserve some coffee.” Qrow hummed in agreement, glancing up at the chalkboard behind the counter.

    “You want a mocha like normal? And a scone?” Winter grinned, and Qrow walked up to place an order. Winter waited for him to come back, murmuring some song lyrics under her breath. When Qrow sat back down, she leaned back, absentmindedly fiddling with her asymmetrical bangs. They sat in relative silence for a while, listening to the tiny hubbub of an arguing couple nearby. After a while, to break the quiet, Qrow asked, “So how’s the wedding planning going?”

    Winter grinned, rolling her eyes a little though she seemed clearly relieved to be able to vent about it. “It’s insane! I've got to figure out the outfits, and the flower arrangements, and the guest list, and the food, and the songs! And the songs are insane, because Lisa wants their first dance to be some pretty classical song but Jen wants it to be some upbeat love song so now I have to make a remix, and…” Her rambling faded into background noise and Qrow sat back, smiling as she waved her hands around to emphasize some point or another. One point came through the haze that made him sit up straight. “I mean, I’m just lucky we aren’t participating in the Vytal Festival this year.” When he coughed, clearly confused, Winter just shrugged. “My team thought it was for the best, us being in Atlas and all, they thought we might…” Her voice got uncomfortable tight, and she clenched her first around a napkin. “They thought we might get accused of cheating. You know. With my father.”

    She looked down, and Qrow scrunched his nose. “But you don’t talk to your father anymore.”

    She smiled bitterly. “Rest of Atlas doesn’t know that.” She looked to the side, and something clicked.

    “Were people sending you threats?” Qrow asked indignantly, and Winter’s silence confirmed the answer. “You can’t just ignore that, you’ve gotta report that shit or something!”

    Winter shook her head. “Qrow, it’s really not a big deal.”

    “Yes it is! Threats threaten things!”

    “This sort of stuff happens all the time..”

    “What kind of demented world are you living in? No, no it doesn’t!” He slammed his hand on the table, and Winter visibly flinched. Qrow took a deep breath, lowering his tone. “It’s…”

    “You have to trust me,” Winter interrupted. “I know what I'm doing. I don’t really care about what a few students think about whether or not my father’s money benefits me, because I know the answer. I'm  _ always  _ going to be the first choice for jobs and internships and promotions, because I'm a Schnee. I hate it, but that's how it is. The best thing I can do is use my privileges to help those who weren’t born into some rich family.” She looked at him in a clearly desperate plea for him to understand like she had. “You get that, right?”

    Qrow sighed, but still nodded. “If things get bad, though..”

    “I'll ask for help, I promise.” Qrow smiled a little, content with the answer.

    “So, tell me more about this remix thing you have to do.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is probably disappointing, sorry. Despite them being pining nerds, I'm allergic to really really quickly building stuff, and I feel like I have so much to work with with Qrow and Winter as friends first. So, yeah.... We'll probably get a lot more of this disappointment. Jen and Lisa were never going to be as large a part of the story as they're becoming, but I love what I know of how Winter met and got to know them. So, yeah, sorry for the bad and very late chapter, auditions and rehearsals are a bitch to one's schedule. And my really really inconsistent formatting.  
> So yeah, @pshhhhhhhnah for actual content on tumblr from me and @dreamsanddaylilies if u wanna scream at me. (Please do I'm nice I promise.)


	8. Ice Cream, Sports, and The Ability To Be Normal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seeing movies with their friends. Complaining about their parents but loving them anyways. Planning trips and vacations. Applying to jobs. Building up experience for going out into the world. Those are the things that normal teenagers would get to do. Winter and Qrow have lost the right to be normal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hm

**Winter: Are you kidding me?**

**Qrow: no!! its a madhouse**

 

    “He was out!”

    “He was safe, Raven, and you know it!” Summer shouted, standing on the couch just to be taller.

    Tai shoved another handful of kettle corn in his mouth. “Number 2 as a nice ass,” he said, and Qrow looked up momentarily to nod in agreement.

    Both Summer and Raven had turned around. “Tai, do you even understand the rules of the game?” Raven said, and Tai laughed.

    “Hell no!”

 

     **Winter: What teams are playing? My TV is occupied by a shitty romcom.**

**Qrow: vale v mistral**

**Winter: I’m coming over.**

**Qrow: k**

 

“Raven, move your ass, I can’t see the TV,” Summer complained, poking Raven’s arm.

    “Excuse you, I have a child inside of me! Its health comes first!”

    “What if I put the bowl over your stomach?”

    “Guys--”

    Raven scowled. “That doesn’t even make sense, Sum.”

    “ _Guys--_ ”

    “Yes it does, shut up!”

    “Guys!” The two both turned to face Qrow, and he sighed. “Winter’s coming over to watch with us.”

    Three identical thumbs-up were sent his way before Tai returned to his popcorn and Summer and Raven returned to their quarrel.

    Five minutes and a spilled bowl of popcorn later, the door opened and Winter let herself in, sinking into the couch between Raven and Summer and throwing Tai’s scroll at him.

    “I took it from your bedside table a week ago to see how long it would take for you to notice,” she said, and ignored Tai’s indignant shout in favor for drowning it out with her own yelling at the umpire.

    For a while, it felt normal. Like they were just teenagers, aura not even unlocked, hanging out in someone’s living room and watching sports together. Eventually, when Raven and Summer started arguing too loudly for Winter to hear, she moved over to Qrow’s couch, and it felt normal. She knocked her hand against his, and their shoulders pressed up against each other, and it felt normal. And then when Summer changed the channel during commercials, the news came on, and they weren’t normal anymore. Qrow was a son of bandits, and Winter was the daughter of the man on the screen.

    Summer went to change it again, and Winter held her hand up. “Please don’t.” Summer set the remote down slowly, looking at Raven and Tai for reassurance.

    “So, Mr. Schnee, how do you feel about your daughter’s more vocal support of the faunus in recent interviews?” The newscaster had a pained look in their eyes, like they knew the answer and were too afraid to say it without hearing it straight from the source.

    “I don’t think she has the right to be called that. She’s not a Schnee, not like she’s supposed to be. First, straying down the path of becoming a huntress, giving up her heiress position, now standing up for mongrels and planning a wedding for two--”

    Summer shut off the TV, stood up, took Winter’s hand, and dragged her towards the kitchen.

    They’d lost the right to be normal.

 

    Summer put a piece of binder paper in front of Winter, and then put a pen in her hand. “Write it down. All of it. Hell, just write “My dad is a fuckface” over and over. Always makes me feel better.”

    Winter looked at her, hesitant, before she uncapped the pen.

     _Jacques Schnee is a fuckface._

_Jacques Schnee is a fuckface._

_Jacques Schnee is a fuckface._

_Jacques Schnee is a fu…_

    Summer patted her on the back. “That’s the ticket.” She didn’t leave until the whole page was filled, at which point Winter slumped back, rubbing her hand. Summer frowned, took said hand, and pulled her up. “C’mon.”

    She pulled her back into the living room, grabbed her scroll, and opened the door. “Winter and I are ditching for ice cream. See you in an hour.”

 

    Summer got peach and Winter got chocolate peppermint stick. Things started to feel normal again, like they were friends getting ice cream after a bad day.

    Didn’t they deserve to feel normal? They were on the cusp of adulthood, didn’t they deserve to want to enter a big new world and explore what it had to offer?

    Why did that right get taken away from them? _When_ did they get that right taken away from them?

    “So,” Summer said, pausing to break off a piece of her cone and eat it, “how’s Qrow?”

    Winter wrinkled her nose as if her ice cream had suddenly gone sour. “Fuck you.”

    Summer laughed, and after a second, Winter joined in.

     It was a comforting distraction from all the messed-up things in life.

 

    Raven, Tai, and Qrow sat in a circle, eating popcorn and swapping stories. Raven tossed a piece in the air, caught it, and said, “I’ve got one.”

    Qrow pointed at her. “Spill.”

    “Okay, so, Summer and I are planning on going into the city, doing a little shopping, the works. And I plan on wearing those super cute jeans I have, the ones with the black buttons. And they don’t fit.”

    Qrow and Taiyang looked at each other, confused.

    Raven huffed. “Because of the baby inside me.”

    “Oh.”

    Raven rolled her eyes affectionately. “And now it’s really hitting me, y’know? I’m _pregnant._ I’m going to have a kid. That’s gonna put my career on hold, maybe forever. I just… I don’t dislike the idea of having a kid. Kids, even. But now? I’m not sure I’m ready for that.”

    Qrow settled down next to her, pulling her into a sideways hug. Tai came in on the other side, leaning into her with a hand on her stomach. They didn’t say anything, they weren’t sure what to. So they stayed there, until they fell asleep, and past when Summer and Winter snuck back in with a pint of ice cream that the slipped in the fridge.

    When they woke up, there was a blanket over them, and Winter and Summer were fast asleep, limbs tangled together and a bowl of chips spilled across the ground. A soapy romcom was still playing in the background.

    Maybe they were a little more normal than they thought. They’d just have to fight for the chance to be so.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow this is LATE AS HELL and I'm really sorry for that. Between attempting inktober and starting on Nanowrimo (which is so far a super dramatic murder mystery with a blend of romance, it's gonna be sick) my time has been crammed as all get-out, but I really hope you liked this. And, by the way, I think I'm going to start answering comments, because you guys are too sweet not to, and I think I've finally gotten over the fear of annoying people because of how warm and fuzzy I feel when people respond to MY comments. So yeah! There we have it: the start of Raven's doubts, and the start of Winter starting to feel the pressure of the world.  
> As always, my tumblr is @pshhhhhhhnah for actual content and @dreamsanddaylilies for my whats soon-to-be-original-works-blog! Please talk to me, I'm friendly, I swear, and I love interacting with you guys!  
> Also, though it doesn't seem like it, we're about half way to the end.. Maybe even two thirds. I never intended to guess what will happen to them, and I won't. But, and this is a big but, I think you'll like how this ends. It'll be satisfying, to say the least.


	9. Pitch-Black Interlude

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Or, decisions were made and are finally accepted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hm

     Raven was writing furiously when her pencil tip broke. She threw it across the table, and it rolled to a stop as she reached for one of her books. She flipped through it, searching for her page before she flung it against the wall, taking a little pleasure in the dull  _ bang _ .

     “Dammit,” she muttered, gripping a handful of hair. She put a hand on her stomach and sighed. She turned around as Qrow threw open the door, his hand on the handle of his scythe. Raven held up a hand, and he slowly untensed.

     “I heard a crash.”

     “I threw a book, dumbass.”

     “Oh. Sorry.”

     “S’okay.”

     They were silent for a moment that stretched out for years.

     Raven hadn’t intended to go the way she had. She hadn’t intended to love. She had thought, that by accepting Ozpin’s offer, that she would gain a key to the locked doors that protected his secrets. Instead, she had just found another door. And still, Qrow had stayed stubborn, believing that some key on the ring would unlock it. She had thought he was simply determined. Years later, she would still hope that was the truth. But the little voice in her head told her what was real: Qrow was a fool who squandered everything on love and hope. He threw his feelings around like children’s toys and let others know what he thought. He was a waste.

     She wouldn’t give up on hope for her brother until later. In that moment, though, they were standing there, uselessly silent.

     Qrow was supposed to be the leader of their tribe: when they were born, it was decreed that as the son, he would be the obvious successor. And when his semblance was discovered, the tribe rejoiced. Surely, his misfortune would lead to many victories. But it was not just their enemies who were affected. When a young prodigy was crushed by a fallen rock, Qrow was almost cast out. Imagine, a sixteen-year-old bandit left alone in the woods to fend for himself.

     But Raven cared for her brother, despite his defects. Beacon Academy was opening to new applicants, she said. She and Qrow were more than capable, they could work their way in. And once they did, they could learn all of the tricks that huntsmen used to fight bandits, and soon, they would become proficient in fighting and defeating their classmates.

     Except their one little catch: Summer Rose and Taiyang Xaio Long. They were warm, and caring, and told Raven and Qrow they were brave for leaving the tribe, because that was the story she and Qrow fed them. Raven had held onto her defiance, to her commitment to what she knew. But Qrow had let go of it. And the second summer they went back to their family, Qrow announced that he didn’t want to come back. He wanted to start his own life in Vale and become a huntsman. 

     And so he was left behind.

     Raven cared for him. Immensely. He was her twin. But still, when she searched deep in her mind, she couldn’t come up with a valid reason to let him stay. And in third year, when he took Ozpin’s deal without a thought of betrayal, she realized letting him stay would have been foolish. 

     And so she stayed with their people, and he stayed with Tai during vacations. And they remained siblings, they remained close. But whenever Raven was gone for a while, Qrow sent her a knowing look that seemed like disappointment. That made it seem like she should have left the tribe, too.

     Qrow was a fool.

     And yet, he was still standing in the doorway, searching for something to say.

     Raven had to lead her people. She was all they had left. And she couldn’t lead while raising a child. Maybe training a teenager. But a baby? Something that required that much care? She just couldn’t.

     But Tai could. He was smart, and talented, and oh-so-caring. He would do whatever it took to give their child a happy life, even put his career on hold. And the child would be happy.

     Raven couldn’t make a child happy. When she couldn’t even make herself happy, she could be sure that someone else couldn’t be happy because of her.

     She had a choice, that was better than others got. At least she could make her decision, and deal with the consequences with a clear mind.

     But if you knew which option you had to choose, was it really a choice? And did Raven deserve that choice? She didn’t even know anymore. She had to look at the bigger picture.

     Taiyang, their child… Both of them deserved happiness. And Raven wasn’t happiness. It was cruel, really, that Qrow’s semblance was bad luck; he loved people so much more than she did, he deserved to be able to be near them.

     Her choice had to be made. 

     Qrow still stood at the door.

     Raven placed a hand on her stomach and took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. She still had months to figure out what she was going to do. She had time, she shouldn’t jump on a decision so soon when she still could think for a while. But, at the same time, she had.

     She’d made up her mind, really, as soon as she found out she was pregnant. It was simply that she hadn’t really accepted that her mind was made up.

     She looked Qrow dead in the eye. “I’m leaving once the child is born. I’m going to go lead our people. Taiyang will raise them.”

     The idea looked so lost on Qrow, like he couldn’t understand the concept of leaving people you loved. He might not understand it, he gave so much love to others.

     But he wouldn’t tell. Raven knew he wouldn’t. Because Qrow cared about people being happy, and he wanted Taiyang to be happy for as long as possible. And if that meant that Raven left abruptly, with no warning, so be it.

     He wouldn’t tell.

     And he turned around and walked away, without saying a single word.

      _Coward,_ the voice in her mind whispered.  _You are a coward. Afraid of loving. Afraid of caring._

     She was. She accepted that. She was a coward.

     But she was no fool.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> alrightie so. Starting to close in on the end. Maybe four chapters left? I haven't decided yet.  
> again, as always: my tumblr is @pshhhhhhhnah, @dreamsanddaylilies for original content! Please come talk to me, I am friendly. Specifically, I need someone to help me sort out my complex and mixed feelings about The Last Jedi.  
> hope you enjoyed!! (comment please I die from happiness when ya do)


	10. Speeches and Fleeting Chances

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The last few months have been uneventful, but Winter wants one event to stand out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is a bit longer than usual, enjoy

     The next few months passed like they were only a few days. The Vytal Festival Tournament came and went like nothing had ever happened. Raven was driven closer to the brink. Summer separated herself, hiding herself in the library to complete her homework and do research. Taiyang stressed out over the future, and Qrow struggled over not being able to tell him that future would never happen. Winter immersed herself in planning and writing, taking breaks to teach Qrow to bake bread and to watch movies with Taiyang. It was noticed, too, that she was the only person Summer ever really came out to talk too. For hours on end, both would leave, and Summer would come back practically glowing in a way that vanished as soon as she entered the dorm again.

     Team STRQ would leave in a few weeks, back to Vale, to take their finals and to graduate. And as selfish as it seemed, Winter didn’t want her last bit of time with them to be when they were all unhappy.

     And so, she begged Jen and Lisa for a few extra plus-ones to their wedding.

     “It’s going to be incredible,” she gushed to Summer, pausing to sip her milkshake. “Everything’s perfect, and my bridesmaid’s dress is perfect, and it’s perfect. Even the flowers are going to be perfect.”

     Summer snorted, smiling in the genuine way that no one ever saw from her anymore. “It will be, you’ve done a great job.”

     Winter smiled widely, her eyes crinkling at the corners. “Thanks.” She hummed for a while, and then stopped to gather her thoughts. “Is.. Is Raven okay?”

     “Peachy,” Summer said sarcastically. “Y’know, locking herself in her room, blocking everyone out, saying cryptic things at mealtime, not listening when we say something isn’t safe for the baby. I know it’s stupid, but sometimes I think she’s going to leave, and we’re going to have to pick up the pieces. Is that strange?”

     “Yeah. Yeah, of course it’s strange.”

 

     “Lisa. Calm down.” Winter looked up to her friend’s eyes for a second before they flitted back down to the buttons she was fastening. “See? Your suit’s great, you have the greatest bride imaginable, this wedding is going to be amazing.”

     “Thanks.” Lisa breathed out slowly, taking an awkward sip of water as to not disturb her lipstick. “How long ‘till go time?”

     “Just a few minutes. I’ve got to go check on Jen, okay?” Lisa nodded, looking lost in her own world, and Winter slipped out. 

     “You rea-- oh my lord! Jen! You’re a goddess!” Winter clapped her hands on her cheeks, and Jen giggled.

     She twirled around, her full skirt swirling around. “I feel like one!”

     “Ready to go? Lisa’ll be out there waiting soon, and then I head down the aisle and you’re right after in all your finery!”

     “Yeah.” She wiggled her fingers, inhaling and exhaling slowly. “Okay. Let’s go.”

 

     Winter cleared her throat, tapping the microphone in front of her to get everyone’s attention. “Hey, everyone. Having fun? Don’t care, as long as the brides are, we’re happy, right? So.” She clasped her hands in front of her. “Jen and Lisa Lavender are my best friends. When I was kicked out of my house, they took me in and treated me like their own niece. Without them, I would have been an irredeemable asshole. And without them, I would not be well on my way to becoming a huntress. Simply put, these women are the best people I have ever met. I love them with all of my heart, and I would do anything to repay my debt to them. That includes losing many nights of sleep over this wedding.” She stumbled a little when she turned, and laughed. “Also, I’m a little tipsy.”

     She raised a flute of champagne. “I’m bad at speeches. But I am good at toasting. So to Jen and Lisa. I love you.” And so, she took a deep gulp of her drink as everyone raised their glasses and proceeded to make her way through the room, refill her drink, and slide over next to where Summer was watching Taiyang and Raven share a piece of cake.

     “Hey,” Summer said half-heartedly, and Winter frowned, thinking. She caught Qrow’s eye for a moment and waved, then turned her attention back to Summer.

     “I originally had a speech, actually, but I forgot it. That’s why it was so bad.”

     “Mm? I thought you were just a miserable public speaker.”

     “That too.” A smile had began to dance on Summer’s lips, and Winter smiled too as she took another sip of her champagne. “Are you doing alright? I know… it’s been hard recently.”

     “Just tired. Of a lot.” She waved her hand around a little. “Of life. And loving people. And stuff like that.”

     “Life sucks.”

     “Yeah.”

     They sat in silence for a while, Summer downing a drink of her own, until Qrow came over, surprisingly graceful for a man three drinks into the night. He held a hand out to Winter. “Floor’s opened up for dancing, wanna join me?”

     Winter gave Summer a surprised look, but her friend only winked and busied herself with examining her food. Winter looked back up again. “I would love to.”

     She had to admit, she was shocked Qrow could dance as well as he could. He had a certain air of just learning to do so, but having enough confidence to fake his way through. It was mildly endearing. 

     “So,” she said after a moment, “you clean up well.”

     “It’s a rental tux, and it makes me want to burn it off me. How do you wear formal wear every day of your awful life?”

     “Practice. Years of practice. And a high pain tolerance.”

     Qrow barked out a laugh, and Winter laughed too before she sighed.

     “I want to help Summer. Help her feel better.” She wrinkled her nose, and Qrow wrinkled his too, half mocking.

     “I do too, but we’ve just got to let her blow off steam. You’ve been the most help, honestly, she only ever talks to you anymore.”

     “Oh.”

     They swayed along with the music for a while, one of the slow songs Jen had fought with tooth and claw for.

     “Your speech was nice,” Qrow said, his voice softer than normal.

     “Thank you. They… they mean a lot to me. Don’t know what I’d do without them.” She sighed. “I… I knew Lisa a little, and when I got kicked out, I just… showed up on their door. Drenched, ‘cause it was raining. And they didn’t even hesitate to let me in.”

     “They sound incredible.”

     “They are.” Winter paused for a moment to grab a shot off of a platter and down it before she set it back down again.

     “You might want to slow down there.”

     “Nope. No can do. ‘M getting drunk fast and having a good time. I haven’t had eight hours in such a long time. I need to relax, don’t you think?”

     “Brothers,” Qrow muttered, and he steered her over to where Summer was still sitting, accompanied by a few more empty glasses. “Summer, can I drop her here while I make sure Raven isn’t drinking anything?”

     Summer gave him a thumbs-up, and then laughed loudly when Winter frowned and poked Qrow in the arm.

     “I’m fine, really!”

     “You’ve had, like.. Four glasses of champagne and a vodka shot. That’s not good for your tiny lightweight body. Go sit down with Summer.”

     She sighed, a bit too loudly to be sincere. “Fiiiiiiiiiine. I  _ guess _ .” She sat cross-legged next to Summer, and Qrow thanked the stars that she was wearing a full skirt before he headed off to make sure his sister wasn’t causing irreparable damage to his future niece.

     Winter hummed loudly for a while and picked at her nails until Summer spoke up.

     “We’re leaving in a few weeks.”

     Winter sighed. “Yup.”

     “And you’ll still call us. And message us. And just.. Stay in contact.”

     “Yup.”

     “But it won’t be the same.”

     Winter looked down. “Yeah. You’re gonna be okay, right?”

     “Yeah, I’ll be fine. But Winter, y’gotta think here. I don’t want to leave Atlas without you getting closure. And it’d destroy Qrow, and…” She broke off, trying to collect herself.

     “You need to tell him how you feel. Because if you don’t, you’re never going to get to.” Summer leaned back and almost fell off the bench. “Anyways. Yeah. Confess, dipshit.”

     Winter narrowed her eyes. “Maybe.”

     Summer shrugged. “Maybe’s good enough for now.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mmhm. So. Four chapters left, y'all.  
> Fun fact, I rewrote this twice. Originally this was way soapier and more dramatic and misunderstanding-filled, but I like this a lot more. Just a warning, the last few chapters aren't going to be fun, especially the last three. Angsty. Very much so.  
> Anywho. Thanks for reading, love ya, tumblr.hellsite is @pshhhhhhhnah and @dreamsanddaylilies for original content.


	11. Regretfully They Tell Us, But Firmly They Compel Us To Say Goodbye

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Saying goodbye is no one's strong suit.  
> (Title from "So Long, Farewell" from The Sound Of Music)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alrightie. So. Enjoy?

**Two weeks until departure**

 

     Winter was laying on Team STRQ’s couch watching a romcom while Qrow sat on the floor, marking out battle plans while he occasionally looked up at the screen. Qrow, during one of his brief periods of paying attention, groaned.

     “Does it really seem realistic that they fall in love that quickly? I mean, they barely know each other, and they worry about what to…” He faded off, and coughed awkwardly. “What to say to each other?”

_Tell him. Tell him, tell him, tell him._ Summer’s warning rang through her head like a bell.

     “Yeah, I don’t get it, but it’s fun to watch how bad it gets.”

     She didn’t know why she couldn’t tell him. She trusted Summer, and if Summer said Qrow liked her, he probably did. (Lord, she felt like a middle schooler.)

     But there was just something holding her back. She wasn’t afraid of rejection, per say, more of change. Atlas didn’t hold much in the way of friends for her besides Lisa and Jen, and she didn’t want anything to change suddenly before it was taken away.

     If she confessed, if she told Qrow precisely how she felt, things could change for the better. But then, she’d have that “better” for only so long before they were thousands of miles away from each other. And if she was honest with herself, that seemed worse than never even having it at all.

 

**One week until departure**

 

     Qrow was washing dishes while Winter dried them (a compromise they had made when Winter had caused a baking competition in the first place,) and Qrow wished he could freeze time. Just… stay in that moment, live in it, keep life calm and happy and content.

     “How did Tai and Raven get together?”

     What he wouldn’t give to have frozen time a second before and to not have to answer that question.

     “It’s… well, it’s kind of a funny story. Not really. So, uh, last year, we were on a practice mission, and Summer and I were going out and scouting, and well, when we came back…” He clicked his tongue and swirled the foamy soap around in the sink. “They were… together.”

     “Oh. That’s… kind of embarrassing.”

     “Yeah. Why do you ask?”

     “No reason, I guess.”

     Qrow was definitely sweating. Brothers, couldn’t they go back to the warm, content feeling of a minute ago?

     Winter looked down, not noticing that she had been drying the same dish for several minutes now. “I just.. I’ve never really done that before. The whole relationship thing. It’s not like I’m really new to it, but just sort of… new to the commitment of it. Get it?”

_Tell her, tell her, tell her!_

     “Yeah, I get that. Ask if you’ve got any more pressing questions about my sister’s gross relationship, you’ve got a week left.”

     He meant it to be a lighthearted poke, but it fell in midair. Winter brushed her bangs away from her face, laughing nervously, and they were silent for a while.

     “I’m gonna miss you a lot, Ice Queen.”

     “Me too.” She blinked rapidly. “I’ll give you a hug once we finish the dishes.”

     Qrow noticed that she started drying dishes significantly faster. He chose not to say anything.

_Tell her, tell her, tell her._

     When she finished, she didn’t even dry her hands before she hugged him fiercely, muttering something about him having to text her otherwise she’d send an army of something after him. He didn’t ask what the something was, or how she’d send an army after him.

_Tell her, tell her, tell her._

     He didn’t. He just hugged her back, just as fierce, and promised to text her until she was sick of him.

     He hoped she never would be.

_Tell her, tell her, tell her._

     No, he wouldn’t. He didn’t trust himself enough to maintain what they currently had along with an added weight. And he didn’t trust his luck enough to give him the chance to try.

 

**Day of departure**

 

     Winter was standing on the platform, arms wrapped around her body, her voice raised a little bit over the sound of the aircrafts. “So you’ll text?”

     “And call, video chat, the whole package. I’ll keep in contact, promise.” Qrow’s hand was on her arm, casual enough to be normal but with a little extra _I’ll-miss-you_ weight. His other hand went over his heart and made a little cross. “Cross my heart, hope to die, but not really because my luck is just not cut out for that.”

     Winter laughed.

     Summer, Raven, and Tai were already on the aircraft, having said their goodbyes and loaded their things on already. And now, the only things holding Qrow to the ground were Winter and a small duffle bag filled with paperbacks. His hand, which had remained floating over his heart, came forward to brush her side bangs away.

     “I’m…” His voice broke slightly, and he smiled faintly. “I’m gonna miss you. So much, Winter, so damn much.” Winter nodded, trying for a smile before she broke into laughter. Slightly teary laughter, but at least she was smiling.

     “Tell your team I appreciate the… parting gifts.” Qrow laughed too, casting a quick glance at the grocery bag that Summer, Raven, and Taiyang had filled up with random sentimental things for Winter. On the top were some of the most confusing: a quart of ice cream, a jug of chocolate milk, some muffins, and a bottle of champagne. (Qrow sort of wondered if they had given her anything that wasn’t food.)

     “I will.” The roar of the propellers grew louder, and Qrow squeezed her hand. “I’ll call you when we touch down in Vale?”

     “Okay.” Qrow smiled softly, and turned around, walking into the ship.

_Tell him. Tell him tell him. Tellhimtellhimtellhim._

     “Qrow!” The roar was so loud she could barely hear her own voice, but Qrow somehow did and turned.

 

     He didn’t know what she was trying to say. He could see her lips moving, but it was all lost. He made a confused face and shrugged, and she rolled her eyes so clearly that he could almost hear her sigh.

     For a moment, Winter looked scared, even terrified. And then in a few quick steps, she was right in front of him, going on her tiptoes even in heels to kiss him. It was soft and almost not even there, but it made the entire world stop.

     And after a few seconds, she backed up, smiled sadly, said something he couldn’t hear, and left. Then the door closed, and the ship took off, and she was gone.

 

     “I wish I had more time.”

     Those were the words he never got to hear.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me? Getting chapters out at a sort of reasonable time now that I'm more inspired? It's more likely than you think.  
> Also, rip Qrow, comes back and finds his best friend and sister making out.  
> So after this we're having three sort of epilogue chapters. First Winter's epilogue, then Qrow's, then a joint chapter. And as a warning, very little of it will be happy. It's a sad ride from here, because as I've stated, I'm not making anything up for after It's Brawl In The Family. (Which is still the best chapter of RWBY, goodnight and goodbye.)  
> My tumblr is @pshhhhhhhnah and my original content (art, writing, etc) is @dreamsanddaylilies, please come talk to me, I swear I'm nice. A huge dork, but nice.  
> Love ya, thanks for reading!


	12. The Light Turned Red And I Ran It

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Winter's epilogue, in which ties and people are broken.  
> (Title from "I Didn't Plan It" from Waitress)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> can i get fucking uuhhhhhh massive time skips  
> also longest chapter so far have fun with that

     Qrow was a lot of different things, but Winter had to give him credit. To her knowledge, he never once lied to her. Did he not tell the truth? Yes. But did he ever tell her something purposefully false? No.

     So when he said he’d text, he was telling the truth. They did text, every day at first. But they never mentioned the kiss. They stayed exactly the same, at least, they seemed to.

     And so, for the next two years, Winter was studying, and succeeding. She graduated top of her class, and even made a speech at the end of the year. And then she was faced with a choice. She’d always wanted to be a huntress. She wanted to travel and take out threats and rescue people. She didn’t want to be chained down or controlled.

     But right in front of her was a golden opportunity, a job offer from General James Ironwood himself, wrapped up in an envelope and a fancy seal. She stewed over the decision for two days, and in the end, she made her choice. She signed her name on that dotted line and was employed in the Atlesian Army.

     She blamed herself, really. When she signed her name, she signed away her chance of ever raising Weiss away from their family. From that day on, her chances of that we're gone. And slowly, accidentally, she drifted back into what could only be described as cordial interaction with her father. She loathed herself for it, she knew she was letting herself down. But being that close to that much power was intoxicating, and Winter wanted to rise to the top.

     And so she did. Quickly. Papers praised her as the talented new recruit that climbed Atlas’s ranks like a rope. If she worked hard, they said, she could be the next general. She was in love with the idea, the concept of General Winter Schnee.

     And she didn’t tell Qrow. He had to be a hermit, to not know, to not see the news, but lucky for her, he was. Isolated on Patch, taking care of Raven’s daughter as attention turned to Ruby, Summer and Taiyang’s daughter.

     Winter was happy for Summer-- at least one of them got what they wanted. She wished she could have attended the wedding.

     Her plan was to never tell Qrow, to keep it a secret for as long as possible. It was a terrible plan, but it was what she went with. If-- when he found out, he would detest her. The Atlesian military, he always said, were the worst kind of scum. In a way, she agreed. And so she kept her secret, far away from Patch.

     She didn’t intend for him to find out the way he did.

     Qrow, she knew, had started taking on missions from Professor Ozpin, which was to be expected. But what wasn’t expected was that one of those missions was undercover as a guard at one of Atlas’s promotion ceremonies, for new officers.

     Winter had been overjoyed when she passed the test to become a specialist. It was a huge step, one that would lead to bigger missions and more responsibility-- more respect. She’d become addicted to respect, to the feeling of being the one people talked about. Every time someone stepped out of her way, she felt like a queen.

     And as she was promoted, as she was given her badge that she would keep under her jacket for years to come, she looked out into the crowd and met deep red eyes, like someone had struck a spark.

_No, no, no._

     The ceremony ended, and she pushed through a crowd that seemed deadset on congratulating her. When she reached Qrow, she stopped, and they found their way to a secluded corner. He stirred a drink with a toothpick, and she wrung her hands before he spoke up.

     “Summer’s dead.”

     The words hit her like a brick to the chest. “What?”

     “Killed on a mission.. She made a reckless call, and it got her killed. Ruby doesn’t understand what happened, she’s only five, but Yang does. Poor girl’s only seven, she doesn’t deserve to have lost two mothers.” He looked down and took a deep sip of his drink.

     “I’m… I’m so sorry.”

     He looked up, his eyes filled with spite. “Were you ever going to tell me?”

     She couldn’t bring herself to lie. “No.”

     He laughed brokenly. “Figures. I sort of knew all along, I think. You never said anything about who you worked with, just little bits and pieces about missions.”

     Shame was choking her, making it hard to breathe, but she pressed forwards.

     “Seriously, Winter? The fucking military? You’re too good for that, you… You had so much talent, and you waste it on this? You’re a glorified attack dog!”

     “If I were you, I’d hold your tongue.”

     He raged on. “What about Weiss, huh? Gave up on your plan of being a good big sister? You left her alone to fester in that fucking nightmare of a family? And you have a little brother now! What about him? Are you just leaving them behind?”

     “I--”

     “I can’t believe you.”

     Tears were clouding her eyes. Qrow downed the last of his drink and scoffed.

     “I’m leaving. Don’t bother texting.”

     And then he left. Winter wouldn’t see him again for ten years.

 

     She went back, one day, to the Schnee mansion, to see her siblings. It was exactly like she feared-- two obedient, afraid children. Two weak children. So she refused to be the spark that would burn them to pieces. She was polite, and cordial, and she didn't glorify being a huntress or even speak of it much. (She questioned if she could even call herself a huntress. Never out loud, but inside her mind, laying in bed and thinking.)

     Staying silent felt like ripping out her tongue.

     For years, she went through the motions, fighting and serving but never protecting. And then, during another visit, Weiss told her a secret.

     “I want to be a huntress.”

     So Winter trained her in secret. With the help of her glyphs and her summons, she trained Weiss into the daintiest damn fighter anyone would ever see. And still, she taught her to not cross her father, to not mess with those who held their power over her head. It would only lead to ruin for both of them.

     And so, through Weiss, she got a step-by-step view of Jacques and Willow Schnee’s marriage deteriorating. When she showed up for dinners and galas, Willow was either gone or pouring herself another glass of wine. By age 15, Weiss was terrified, constantly afraid of the family she was living with.

     When Weiss decided to go to Beacon, it didn’t come as a surprise to Winter. Still, she tried to sway her, to tell her that it was wiser to stay close to the family and to the business. Weiss wouldn’t listen.

     Winter blamed herself.

     A few months before Weiss left for Beacon, the two had one last training session.Winter thought at that point that she could take on several Beowolves on her own. Clearly she was wrong. Unarmed and surrounded, Weiss yelled, “Winter!”

     The summons disintegrated, and Winter walked up to her little sister, staking Myrtensater to the ground.

     She sighed. “I’m not always going to be around to save you, Weiss.”

     Weiss looked down. At last she had the grace to look embarrassed. “I’m sorry. I’ll get better.”

     Winter had gotten better. She had became the best. And yet, she was still trapped.

     “You’ll have to if you ever want to leave.”

     And she walked away. Winter Schnee might have been a sellout. She might have been a liar. Maybe Qrow was right, she might have even been a glorified attack dog.

     But she always got the last word.

 

     Throughout Weiss’s first year at Beacon, Winter received letter after letter of Weiss gushing about the school, and about her team, who she’d softened towards after a rocky start, and about the friends she was making. She seemed like a younger Winter.

     (Of course, it was too fucking typical that Taiyang's daughters. Because brothers forbid Winter could ever get the past out of her life.)

     And then the letters turned to gushing about the Vytal Festival and how excited she was for Winter to come visit. Luckily for Winter, the general assigned her to a short mission down to Vale, and Beacon.

     Winter didn’t think she’d ever been prouder of Weiss when she saw Team RWBY come out victorious. But she wasn’t supposed to be proud. She was supposed to be critical. If Jen and Lisa hadn’t been so kind, if they hadn’t been sweet and optimistic, Winter wouldn’t have been broken so easily.

     She was pleased when Weiss corrected herself-- she was growing, becoming more mature. She wasn’t pleased, though, that she had to. Weiss was seventeen, only a teenager, she shouldn’t have to curtsy or use phrases like “Your presence honors us.”

     But here they were.

     The air did feel different from the last time she was there-- a full five years ago, there to oversee the transfer of a cargo ship.

     The conversation felt tense. It was tense, actually. But seeing Weiss and this quirky, strange girl was a little heartwarming. New friends, Weiss had said. Hopefully, there would be a few sensible ones, but Weiss could use someone to balance her out.

     They walked through the courtyard, and it was nice to be with her sister again. Weiss was enthusiastic, so much different from the last time Winter had seen her. It was jarring, but comforting. Everyone was supposed to change during school. Winter certainly had.

     There were days, though, that all of her change felt useless. She was still in Atlas. She was still trapped.

     To be honest, she might always be. But she refused to let Weiss become like her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> uhh hope you liked the extreme lack of happiness in that  
> i rewatched it's brawl in the family to prepare for this and wow i miss when the action and writing was that good  
> so, that's our winter epilogue. next up is qrow, and then a joint epilogue, and then we're done! we're closing in on the end, which is sad for me, but i've got new stuff i want to work on, so its bittersweet.  
> as always, tumblr @pshhhhhhhnah (come talk to me!! i love talking to you guys!!) and @dreamsanddaylilies for original content!  
> love ya have a nice day (and btw if you regularly check and read this i love you with all my heart you deserve many hershey's kisses)


	13. Saying Goodbye and Leaving Me Behind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He sits, and he drinks everything away. His pain, his fear, his worries. He can feel himself slipping away along with it, but he doesn't care.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yes, this is very late, im very sorry  
> title from "Goodbye Love" from RENT

Qrow took a sip of his drink, glancing up at the screen that showcased a fight going on between two teams. It was… Disappointing, to say the least. None of them had remarkable weapons or abilities. They were essentially the bottom of the barrel. He took a long drink of whatever he had ordered, (he didn’t quite remember,) and huffed out a breath. It was safer to be the bottom of the barrel. You got hurt less.

 

Raven gave birth to her daughter a month after they graduated. It was the last day any of them, Qrow knew, felt whole. Summer, heartbroken but whole. Tai, tired but whole. Raven, whole but on the brink of leaving. Qrow, whole but about to be empty.

Raven vanished a week later. Qrow knew where she was, but he didn’t bother looking for her. Summer did, she scoured every inch of Vale, but they all knew an unspoken truth. If Raven Branwen didn’t intend to be found, she wouldn’t be. Taiyang fell into a pit, only smiling for his daughter.

Yang Xiao Long. She made him whole again. Tiny and blond and with eyes reminiscent of a dead queen of bandits, she laughed and cried and did everything with more energy than imaginable. Tai pushed through for her, refusing to let his daughter grow up in a world that she didn’t feel like she was stronger than. Qrow started taking on high-paying missions to support the four of them, and Summer stayed in Patch to help.

She did far more than help. Summer was a godsend, aiding Tai in just about everything. Even before Tai loved her back, she was like a mother to Yang.

And throughout it all, Qrow turned to Winter.

 

Winter.

Qrow pushed his glass forward for a refill.

 

She never spoke about her job’s specifics, which was strange but not alarming. He and just assumed that she felt more private when they weren’t speaking in person.

Then Ruby. Ruby, that sweet, happy-go-lucky girl that looked like Summer but spoke like Tai, knowing from the minute she started to walk that she would fight to defend those who couldn’t. She was born just after Tai and Summer’s wedding, which Qrow remembered next to nothing about. For five years, things were alright. Qrow sank deeper into the hole he had dug for himself, but they were alright.

And then everything came crashing down like a house of cards. Their little house of cards, always just one breath away from crumbling, but still standing.

And then Taiyang received the letter that everyone who knew a huntsman or huntress feared.

_ Summer Rose has been killed in active duty on a mission for the Kingdom of Vale. We regret this, and express our apologies. You will receive financial compensation by the end of the month. _

No amount of “compensation” could make Taiyang whole again. There was always something missing after that day, always one little part of their lives that felt like it would never be right again. And the next night… When Ruby and Yang vanished, Qrow thought Taiyang was going to break forever.

Qrow journeyed out into the night, searching for bright yellow and red within the dark browns and grays of Patch. He couldn’t have found them at a better time, and he never told Taiyang just how crucial the time was.

Telling Yang about Raven was one of the hardest things he ever did. He still couldn’t think about Raven without feeling like he had touched a hot stove, how was he supposed to tell a seven-year-old that her mother had abandoned her and had no regard for her safety or her life? 

Well, Taiyang sure as hell wasn’t going to do it.

That had almost knocked down his card tower, but he had had one thing left: Winter. He took a mission in Atlas, going undercover as security at a promotion ceremony for the military. It was an easy job, and he figured he could see her afterwards, tell her about Summer, be able to really have a conversation with someone for the first time in so long.

Instead…

 

His head physically hurt thinking about it, and he downed the rest of his drink before he asked for more.

 

Blue-gray eyes that had become watered down over the years and then sharpened like steel. Bangs swept to one side and hair in a bun. A crisp Atlas military uniform in the place of her coattails and blouses.

“New Specialist Winter Schnee!”

And every card came crashing down.

He didn’t remember much about their encounter. He just drank it away and tried to forget. All he recalled at some points was the look in Winter’s eyes, broken and lost.

And he left, and he didn’t turn back.

He did everything he could to turn Ruby and Yang away from becoming huntresses, but they were too smart, too brave. They didn’t listen to what he warned them about, they listened to the little voice inside their hearts that said that they could help. That little voice had put Qrow where he was. He hated that little voice. But they fell for every word that it sold them. So he trained Ruby, helped her build her scythe and helped her hone ever instinct that would keep her alive.

But he couldn’t break the purity in her. He couldn’t break her wide-eyed hope, and he hated himself for it.

And off they went, into a world that was unprepared for them. (And of course Weiss Schnee was their teammate. The world hated Qrow  _ that  _ much.)

 

Qrow took a deep sip of his drink, making non-committal noises when the bartender asked where he was from or if he liked a team. There was one girl that stood out-- Pyrrha Nikos. She was strong, and she was smart, and she was brave. Her team couldn’t have won without her.

Qrow could see why Ozpin wanted her as the maiden. Still, though, he grieved for the young life that would be lost to those powers and that legacy. (He had no idea how literal the loss would be.)

After maybe the fifth time he reacted with little interest, the bartender snapped.

“What fight are you here for, anyways!”

A ship roared through the air, and Qrow thought back to the headline.

_ Specialist Winter Schnee to travel to Beacon with Atlas tech! _

He set down his glass and grimaced out a smirk. 

“That one.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so, uh. um. so. yeah. this chapter was a downer to write, and i had a heard time articulating how he felt, and im... still not happy with this, but whatever. take it. and yeah, no indentations, i was tired and i needed a shower.  
> i hope you enjoyed, one chapter left!  
> my tumblr is @pshhhhhhhnah, i talk about musicals and i post weird shit, come say hi!


	14. It's Been Years

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A mechanical head rolls across the courtyard and a raven... Raven... caws. Because of course, the world won't let their story end without a finale.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is short, and i apologize for that.

     Qrow got to his feet and staggered out of the bar, blinking to adjust to the bright sunlight. It reminded him, in the worst way, of Winter. He wasn’t sure why, or how, but it did.

     Or maybe that was just the alcohol talking. He made his way through the streets and towards where he could see the Atlesian ship on the ground in front of Beacon. As he got closer, he could see a group of Atlesian Knights flanking Winter and Weiss.

_      Fucking typical. _

 

     Talking with Weiss again was a relief for Winter, it reminded her that she hadn’t messed up everything in her life. As Weiss’s guard started to fall down, she punctuated each excited sentence with quick movements of her hands, and Winter smiled slightly as Weiss gave a reenactment of how “embarrassingly pushy” she was when she met Pyrrha Nikos.

     Something… Didn’t feel right, though. She wasn’t sure what. Maybe there was just something in the air.

     It was unsettling to be back at Beacon. She had never been there when Qrow was there, only on missions and supply runs. Somewhere in the back of her mind, a part of her likes the idea of a world where she had been able to go to Beacon earlier, to go to classes and on training missions with Team STRQ.

     That chance was gone. Summer was dead, Raven had disappeared, Taiyang was broken, and Qrow was…

     Giving her a headache just thinking about him. 

     Weiss flared her fingers open and said something Winter didn’t quite listen to. And then the harsh crash of breaking metal.

     “Hey!”

 

     Qrow wasn’t sure why he did it. Maybe he wanted to make an entrance. Maybe he found some sort of sick satisfaction in destroying the Knight, just one extra way to stick it to the General. Maybe he wanted Winter to not have any doubt of his intention. She turned around, and he instantly started to worry about his decision.

     She looked… stronger. Cold as ice and ready to pounce at any second. She seemed like a knife that had been sharpened by the hardest metals on Remnant and then stuck in the snow until you could get frostbite by touching it.

     And despite that, Qrow was slapped in the face by a wave of hurt, like touching an open cut. She had joined the military. She had gone against who she was. She had lied to him.

     And he still wanted to forgive her.

 

     Winter wanted to scream.

     Of course it was him. Because her day could have stood to get a lot worse. She couldn’t have a pleasant day with her sister, oh no. He  _ had  _ to show up.

     The Knight’s head rolled towards her, and she almost laughed. Of course he would get some sort of vindictive pleasure from destroying it. That was so unbearably  _ him. _

     He wore an awful mocking smile, and she nearly pulled out her sword right then and there to attack. She truly wanted to. She wanted to make him feel like he was a villain, like he didn’t deserve her forgiveness. She wanted to make him feel as terrible as she did.

     She wanted to make him know that he had hurt her just as much as she had hurt him. How was she to know, though? She had lied. She had given herself up to a group of people who she detested, all because they made her feel special.

     She hated herself for doing it, but she hated him more for calling her out.

     She doesn’t want to forgive him. But when she sees him, when she remembers him, she knows that a little part of her already has.

 

     There was a moment where the two solidly made eye contact, sparks against ice, and both of them felt themselves fall apart.

 

     “Yeah, I’m talking to you,  _ Ice Queen. _ ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> alright. so. uh. hm. i.. debated for a while on how i wanted to write this, and i ended up deleting like a full 1,000 words bc i didn't want it to be long-winded. and i ended it where it is because honestly, 1/2 im really sick and suffering and 2/2 from the very beginning i wanted to end the fic with that line.  
> so... 'tis the end. thank you so much to everyone who's read this, and especially!!! to everyone who's commented or left kudos, y'all are gems. here's to a wonderful next few volumes with US FINALLY GETTING WINTER AFTER 2 AND A HALF VOLUMES OF WAITING  
> my tumblr is @pshhhhhhhnah, come talk to me! <3

**Author's Note:**

> I swear I'll write something besides snowbird soon I promise.... But in the meantime, Qrow utterly destroying his life by falling for the last person on Remant that he should have! Basically, this is going to play out as a lot of chapters that form an eventually coherent plot, I hope. It'll maybe carry into their years as adults and eventually into the future, but it won't focus on what might happen during the canonical timeline, but mainly on how their pasts played out to lead to the present, and how the present leads to the future.  
> As always, comments/kudos would be greatly appreciated, and feel free to check out the tumblr I run with my friend, @pshhhhhhhnah. Thanks for reading! :)
> 
> Also yes, the formatting's weird, sorry.


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